Scottish Executive

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1113 by Malcolm Chisholm on 17 July 2003 and for each of the drugs granted UK marketing authorisations since 1 June 2002, which drugs have been given approval by the Scottish Medicines Consortium and, of these, how many were given approval for use (a) in all and (b) in certain circumstances.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information about products recommended by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for use within NHSScotland can be found on their website www.htbs.co.uk/smc , or by contacting the SMC secretariat at Delta House, 50 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2NP (0141 225 6997).

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1113 by Malcolm Chisholm on 17 July 2003, whether any NHS boards have procedures in place for introducing new drugs granted UK marketing authorisation into their formularies other than by receiving advice from the Scottish Medicines Consortium and, if so, what each such procedure involves.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards determine their prescribing policy on new medicines taking into account local needs and advice from their Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees (ADTCs). The Scottish Medicines Consortium is a consortium of NHS boards. It brings together ADTCs to ensure that NHS boards receive the same advice on the clinical and cost effectiveness of new drugs as soon as practical after the launch of the products involved. This enables the NHS to plan the speedy introduction of beneficial treatment where appropriate.

  More information about the work of the SMC can be found on their website www.htbs.co.uk/smc.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects NHS boards to work across administrative boundaries in the delivery of services, in the interest of patients, and, if so, how it monitors compliance with this approach.

Malcolm Chisholm: Yes. The health department issued guidance to NHS boards on regional planning in March 2002. The guidance included advice on planning and provision of services across NHS board boundaries. A copy can be found at:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd/mels/HDL2002_10.pdf.

  Other recent guidance to the NHS has emphasised the importance of collaborative planning and provision of services – for example, guidance dated September 2002 on establishing Managed Clinical Networks (MCNs), which may offer services across more than one board area. The guidance on MCNs can be found at http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd/mels/HDL2002_69.pdf.

  In June 2003 the Executive published a draft bill, the NHS Reform (Scotland) Bill, which proposes that NHS boards should be given a new statutory duty to co-operate with each other, and with the Special Health Boards, to secure and advance the health of the people of Scotland.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what influence local communities and patients have in any consultation with local health boards and in what circumstances, if an overwhelming view is expressed by a local community, that view can be ignored.

Malcolm Chisholm: We expect NHS boards to follow national guidance on public engagement and consultation. One of the key principles of effective engagement with individuals and local communities over proposals for service change is that NHS boards are explicit about why change is necessary and what the options and restrictions are for future change. Issues around patient safety are paramount.

  The views of all local stakeholders should be taken into account in coming to a decision at the end of a consultation process.

Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent average waiting times are for out-patient appointments for neurology in each NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The median waiting time for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in the specialty of neurology, following referral by a general medical practitioner, by NHS board area of residence, in the year ended 30 June 2003, is given in the table.

  NHSScotland: Median Waiting Times for a First Out-Patient Appointment with a Consultant in the Specialty of Neurology, Following Referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS Board Area of Residence. Year Ended 30 June 2003P.

  

 NHS Board
 Median Wait


 Argyll and Clyde
 81 days


 Ayrshire and Arran
 102 days


 Borders
 90 days


 Dumfries and Galloway
 81 days*


 Fife
 78 days


 Forth Valley
 94 days


 Grampian
 68 days


 Greater Glasgow
 89 days


 Highland
 132 days


 Lanarkshire
 108 days


 Lothian
 31 days


 Orkney
 176 days*


 Shetland
 179 days*


 Tayside
 97 days


 Western Isles
 81 days*


 Scotland
 70 days



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR00.

  PProvisional.

  Note:

  *Represents less than 100 patients.

Health

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) gynaecologists, (b) obstetricians and (c) paediatricians have qualified as consultants in the NHS in each year since 1995.

Malcolm Chisholm: The specific information on an individual’s progress to a consultant post in Scotland is not collected centrally by ISD Scotland.

  Information is collected on the number of doctors in higher specialist training in obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics and who are expected to be awarded a certificate of completion of specialist training (expected CCST date). This is shown in the table.

  Table 1: Number of Doctors with Expected CCST Date During the Year Following the 30 September Census in Which They Were Present

  

 In Post at 30 September
 Expected CCST 
  Date
 Obstetrics and 
  Gynaecology
 Paediatrics


 1996
 1996-97
 13
 3


 1997
 1997-98
 16
 8


 1998
 1998-99
 8
 16


 1999
 1999-2000
 15
 9


 2000
 2000-01
 11
 13


 2001
 2001-02
 8
 8



  Source: ISD Medical and Dental Workforce Census, NHS Education for Scotland.

  Obstetrics and gynaecology are collected as one specialty by ISD Scotland and therefore cannot be analysed separately.

Health

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many doctors in each of the last two years have been studying to become consultants in the NHS in (a) gynaecology, (b) obstetrics and (c) paediatrics.

Malcolm Chisholm: The number of specialist registrars in obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics, in post in NHSScotland as at 30 September 2002 and 30 September 2001, are given in the table. These numbers reflect the total number of individuals who were undertaking higher specialist training at the time of the census and who were not all at the same specific point in their training.

  Table 1: Specialist Registrars in Post in NHSScotland as at Year Ending 30 September

  

 
 Obstetrics and Gynaecology
 Paediatrics


 2001
 75
 68


 2002
 91
 86



  Source: ISD Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

  Obstetrics and gynaecology are collected as one specialty by ISD Scotland and therefore cannot be analysed separately.

Health

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many doctors it estimates will become consultants in (a) gynaecology, (b) obstetrics and (c) paediatrics in each of the next five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The table shows the number of specialist registrars in obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics, in post in NHSScotland at 30 September 2002, expected to complete Certificate of Specialist Training (CCST), in each of the next five years. CCST holders are eligible to apply for consultant posts.

  Table 1: Number of Specialist Registrars Expected to Complete Specialist Training During Year Ending 30 September

  

 
 Obstetrics and 
  Gynaecology
 Paediatrics


 2003
 12
 7


 2004
 14
 9


 2005
 10
 15


 2006
 16
 13


 2007
 9
 17



  Source: ISD Medical and Dental Workforce Census, NHS Education for Scotland.

  Obstetrics and gynaecology are collected as one specialty by ISD Scotland and therefore cannot be analysed separately.

Hospitals

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce its decision on the outline business case put forward by Forth Valley NHS Board for the selection of the Royal Scottish National Hospital, Larbert, as the site of the proposed new acute hospital for Forth Valley.

Malcolm Chisholm: Forth Valley NHS Board is currently finalising the outline business case (OBC) for the Forth Valley Healthcare Strategy . It is anticipated that the OBC will be submitted to the Executive in the coming weeks and a response will be made as soon as possible after that.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the position of non-fully-mutual housing co-operatives in relation to the withdrawal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  A working group was established to examine the financial impact on the housing association sector of the withdrawal of section 54. The working party was asked to consider arrangements to mitigate the financial effect on any organisations (including housing co-operatives) that remain subject to an assessment for corporation tax.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the working group established to examine the implications for housing associations of the withdrawal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988 considered the particular circumstances of non-fully-mutual housing co-operatives.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  A working group was established to examine the financial impact on the housing association sector of the withdrawal of section 54. The working party was not required specifically to consider the particular circumstances of non-fully-mutual housing co-operatives, instead they were required to consider the financial impact on all organisations who retained non charitable rules.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the non-fully-mutual housing co-operative model for registered social landlords.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The consultation paper Modernising Scotland’s Social Housing makes clear ministerial commitment to community ownership. The housing co-operative model is one of a range of constitutional frameworks that can achieve this objective.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make particular provision in respect of non-fully-mutual housing co-operatives in light of the withdrawal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The working party that was set up made recommendations about how to mitigate the financial effect on small housing associations of the withdrawal of section 54 tax relief grant. We are considering the introduction of a viability test. A small working group is looking at the detail of the viability test and it is expected that decisions will be based on an registered social landlords (RSLs) financial position rather than constitution.

Immigration

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to make any representations to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the allocation of responsibilities between Her Majesty’s Government and it in respect of immigration matters and their impact on the Executive’s responsibilities.

Ms Margaret Curran: Matters relating to immigration and nationality are reserved to the Home Office and the Executive has no plans to renegotiate this. However, the Executive regularly meets with representatives of Her Majesty’s Government and raises a number of issues at these times.

Learning Disabilities

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards the provision of specialist health care, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities .

Mr Tom McCabe: Provision of specialist health care support is a matter for health boards and local authorities, who provide such services.

  They are aided in this task by Promoting Health, Supporting Inclusion published by the Executive in July 2002. It is about the contribution that nurses and midwives can make to the care and support of people with learning disabilities, and aims to ensure that all nurses and midwives recognise the particular needs of people with learning disabilities, and work towards promoting and improving their health.

  We have asked NHS Health Scotland to undertake a needs assessment of the health needs of children and adults with learning disabilities in Scotland, to inform the development and commissioning of services for the future. This is expected in the autumn.

Learning Disabilities

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards ensuring that there is an increasing range of employment opportunities, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities .

Mr Tom McCabe: Employment has been one of the priorities for the national The same as you? Implementation Group. It set up an employment sub-group, whose report is near finalisation. The report will encourage a wide range of employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities.

Less Favoured Areas

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will maintain the present year's Less Favoured Area Support Scheme payments at the total of £63 million paid out last year; what representations it has received on this issue, and whether it will make an announcement on the matter.

Ross Finnie: The current budget of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme is £61 million per year. An additional £2 million was made available in 2003 only, in recognition both of the importance of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme to farmers and crofters, and of the difficulties that they had experienced as a result of foot-and-mouth disease.

  No formal representations have been made about the budget for the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme, although some members of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme Industry Working Group have indicated that retaining the existing level of expenditure would be their preference.

  An announcement about the changes required to adapt the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme to an expenditure level of £61 million will be made in due course.

Licensing

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to reform licensing laws and, in particular, whether it will simplify the number and types of licence and alter the frequency of meetings of licensing boards from quarterly to a less frequent schedule.

Cathy Jamieson: The Nicholson Committee in their report on liquor licensing law recommended changes in both these areas. Its report, which was published on 19 August 2003, has been issued for consultation until 19 December 2003.

Multiple Sclerosis

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it offers any financial support for research on multiple sclerosis and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the balance is between it and Her Majesty’s Government in the funding of research into the causes of, and potential cures or relief of pain for, multiple sclerosis.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is the main agency through which the UK Government supports medical and clinical research. Collaboration between the UK Health Departments and the MRC is formalised in a concordat designed to develop and maintain an effective partnership for the promotion, funding and management of UK medical research. The MRC spent £2.1 million on multiple sclerosis (MS) research in the UK in 2001-02 with a similar amount spent in 2002-03 (final spend figures for this year are not yet available). The MRC expects to spend in the same region in 2003-04.

  Although the MRC has allocated resources for MS research, the Scottish Executive has placed no restrictions on the further funding of research in this area. The Chief Scientist Office (CSO), within the Scottish Executive Health Department, has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland. The CSO is largely a response mode funder of research and this role is well known and advertised throughout the health care and academic community.

  The CSO is not currently directly funding any research projects into MS. This is due to the fact that no research proposals on MS have been received in recent years. The CSO would be pleased to consider research proposals for innovative MS studies of a sufficiently high standard. These would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.

NHS Funding

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been received by the NHS from the pharmaceutical industry in each year since 1999.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown by prison of the figures contained in the table in Appendix 6 of the Scottish Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts 2002-03 .

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested in relation to breaches of discipline and punishments in the year 2002-03 broken down by establishments is provided in tables available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 28942).

  There is a typographical error in Appendix 6 of the Annual Report with the numbers "disobeying a rule or regulation" being incorrectly repeated under "disobeying a lawful order". The correct figures are shown in the table and are also contained in the tables provided to the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

  

 Disobeying a lawful order
 571
 8,579
 252
 687
 823
 9,266


 Disobeying a rule or regulation
 130
 288
 26
 69
 156
 357

Speed Cameras

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many fixed speed cameras are currently deployed, and were deployed in each of the last five years.

Cathy Jamieson: The following table shows the total number of fixed speed camera sites on trunk roads in Scotland. Fixed speed cameras on non-trunk roads are the responsibility of local authorities and data on the total numbers of these are not held centrally.

  

 Year
 No. of Fixed 
  Sites


 1998
 71


 1999
 102


 2000
 132


 2001
 140


 2002
 154


 2003
 165

Waste Management

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what data it, or any other organisation, collects on the extent of fly-tipping, including the annual frequency of fly-tipping incidents and the cost of clearing up.

Ross Finnie: No data are held centrally. Local authorities and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency are responsible for action against fly-tipping.

  The Scottish Fly-tipping Forum, funded by the Scottish Executive, is gathering information about fly-tipping. The forum is convened by Keep Scotland Beautiful, whose contact details are:

  Islay House

  Livilands Lane

  Stirling

  FK8 2BG

  Tel No: 01786 471333

  Fax No: 01786 464611

  www.encams.org

  Some data concerning those fly-tipping incidents which lead to enforcement action and given in the Review of the Litter and Fly-tipping Provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/environment/rlfpm-00.asp

Waste Management

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what data it, or any other organisation, collects on the extent of fly-tipping on agricultural land and its cost to farmers and public funds.

Ross Finnie: No data are held centrally. Local authorities and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) are responsible for action against fly-tipping. I understand that Scotland has also undertaken surveys on this topic and may be able to provide further data.

  The Scottish Fly-tipping Forum, funded by the Scottish Executive, is gathering information about fly-tipping. The forum is convened by Keep Scotland Beautiful, whose contact details are:

  Islay House

  Livilands Lane

  Stirling

  FK8 2BG

  Tel No: 01786 471333

  Fax No: 01786 464611

  www.encams.org.